ACCEPTANCE OF AMAZON AND NON-AMAZONIC FRUITS BY SCORPION MUD TURTLE, KINOSTERNON SCORPIOIDES (LINNAEUS, 1766), IN CAPTIVITY

Chelonians have, historically, played an important role as a natural resource for human food in the Amazon region, among them the Kinosternon scorpioides species, the muçuã. This is a semi-aquatic freshwater chelonian that has an omnivorous feeding habit. Due to the lack of research on the feeding of this species in captivity, the present study aimed to evaluate the acceptance and preference of fruits by K. scorpioides and to describe their feeding behavior in captivity. The study was conducted between January and June 2017, at the Scientific Breeding Ground of the Bio-Fauna Project / ISARH-UFRA. 36 muçuãs were used, 18 in the fattening phase and 18 in the brooding phase, with an average initial weight of 438g (± 16.22g) and 84g (± 16.11g), respectively. The animals were housed in polyethylene boxes with 60% of the flooded area and 40% of the dry area, with three animals per box. In order to assess food preference, fresh fruits were used, classified as regional and non-regional Amazon. Each fruit was offered in a food/animal unit for 50 minutes. Monitoring of food preference was done with the help of video cameras. It was observed that the animals in the breeding phase were those that consumed a higher percentage of regional fruits (48.89%), when compared to the fattening phase that consumed 46.67% of the same fruits. Among the fruits offered, it was possible to observe a higher consumption of pupunha (Bactris gasipaes Kunth), melon (Cucumis melo L.) and mango (Mangifera indica L.) by both groups. The regional Amazonian fruits obtained great acceptance in which the pupunha was more prominent (88.89%) for the fattening phase, however the melon (63.19%) was the most consumed by the young.Os quelônios têm desempenhado, historicamente, um papel importante como recurso natural para alimentação humana na região Amazônica, entre eles destaca-se a espécie Kinosternon scorpioides, o muçuã. Este é um quelônio semi aquático de água doce que possui hábito alimentar onívoro. Devido à carência de pesquisas sobre alimentação dessa espécie em cativeiro o presente trabalho objetivou avaliar a aceitação e preferência de frutas por K. scorpioides e descrever o comportamento alimentar do mesmo em cativeiro. O estudo foi conduzido entre janeiro e junho de 2017, no Criadouro Científico do Projeto Bio-Fauna/ISARH-UFRA. Foram utilizados 36 muçuãs, 18 na fase de engorda e 18 em fase de cria, com peso inicial médio de 438g (±16,22g) e 84g (±16,11g), respectivamente. Os animais foram alojados em caixas de polietileno com 60% da área alagada e 40% de área seca, com três animais por caixa. Para avaliação da preferência alimentar foram utilizadas frutas in natura, classificados em regionais e não regionais amazônicas. Cada fruta foi oferecida em unidade de alimento/animal, durante o tempo de 50 minutos. O monitoramento da preferência alimentar foi feito com o auxílio de câmeras filmadoras. Pôde-se observar que os animais na fase de cria foram os que consumiram uma porcentagem maior de frutas regionais (48,89%), quando comparados com a fase de engorda que consumiram 46,67% das mesmas frutas. Dentre as frutas ofertadas, foi possível observar um maior consumo de pupunha (Bactris gasipaes Kunth), melão (Cucumis melo L.) e manga (Mangifera indica L.) por ambos os grupos. As frutas regionais amazônicas obtiveram grande aceitação no qual a pupunha obteve maior destaque (88,89%) para a fase de engorda, contudo o melão (63,19%) foi o mais consumido pela cria

Novas espécies de Eudorylas Aczél da Estação Ecológica de Maracá, Roraima, Brasil (Diptera, Pipunculidae)

Five new species Eudorylas Aczél are described from Maracá Ecological Station, Roraima, Brazil, namely: E. aquinoi, E. bentoni, E. caccabatus, E. megasurstylus and E. souzalopesi

Amazonian Native Palm Fruits as Sources of Antioxidant Bioactive Compounds

The Amazon region has many sources of fruits, especially native ones not yet explored, but which have some potential for use, as is the case with certain palms. The objective of this study was to evaluate the content of bioactive compounds and total antioxidant capacities of fruits from native palms from the Brazilian Amazon. The fruits of five palm species (bacaba, buriti, inajá, pupunha, and tucumã) were evaluated for levels of ascorbic acid, anthocyanins, yellow flavonoids, total carotenoids, and total extractable polyphenols, as well as the total antioxidant capacities. The fruits had high contents of extractable total polyphenols, especially bacaba and tucumã (941.56 and 158.98 mg of galic acid·100g−1), total carotenoids in the case of tucumã and buriti (7.24 and 4.67 mg·100g−1), and anthocyanins in bacaba (80.76 mg·100g−1). As for the antioxidant capacity, bacaba had the highest total antioxidant activity by the Oxygen Radical Antioxidant Capacity (ORAC) (194.67 µM·Trolox·g−1), 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) (47.46 g·pulp·g−1 DPPH), and β-carotene/linoleic acid (92.17% Oxidation Inhibition (O.I) methods. Bacaba phenolic profile revealed the presence of cyanidin-3-O-rutinoside and other flavonoids. The palm fruits studied can be considered good sources of bioactive compounds, some containing higher amounts than that of commonly consumed fruits. Total extractable polyphenols and anthocyanins were directly correlated to antioxidant activity in these fruits

Conventional Therapy and Promising Plant-derived Compounds Against Trypanosomatid Parasites

Leishmaniasis and trypanosomiasis are two neglected and potentially lethal diseases that affect mostly the poor and marginal populations of developing countries around the world and consequently have an important impact on public health. Clinical manifestations such as cutaneous, mucocutaneous and visceral disorders are the most frequent forms of leishmaniasis, a group of diseases caused by several Leishmania spp. American trypanosomiasis, or Chagas disease, is caused by Trypanosoma cruzi, a parasite that causes progressive damage to different organs, particularly the heart, esophagus and lower intestine. African trypanosomiasis, or sleeping sickness, is caused by Trypanosoma brucei and is characterized by first presenting as an acute form that affects blood clotting and then becoming a chronic meningoencephalitis. The limited number, low efficacy and side effects of conventional anti-leishmania and anti-trypanosomal drugs and the resistance developed by parasites are the major factors responsible for the growth in mortality rates. Recent research focused on plants has shown an ingenious way to obtain a solid and potentially rich source of drug candidates against various infectious diseases. Bioactive phytocompounds present in the crude extracts and essential oils of medicinal plants are components of an important strategy linked to the discovery of new medicines. These compounds have proven to be a good source of therapeutic agents for the treatment of leishmaniasis and trypanosomiasis. This work highlights some chemotherapeutic agents while emphasizing the importance of plants as a source of new and powerful drugs against these widespread diseases

Strategies to combat poverty and their interface with health promotion Estrategias de afrontamiento de la pobreza y su interfaz con la promoción de la salud Estratégias de enfrentamento da pobreza e sua interface com a promoção da saúde

The population impoverishment is a social reality whose overcoming is necessary so that we can think about health as a positive concept. This study proposes a reflection on the coping strategies adopted by the Conjunto Palmeira, a Brazilian community in the Northeast, and their interface with health promotion. This community's reality is an example of overcoming social exclusion for different regions of Brazil and other countries. The history of the Conjunto and the collective strategies of empowerment for coping with poverty and search for human development are initially presented. After that, we establish the relationship of those strategies with the action fields for health promotion. Finally, we consider that the mutual responsibility of the community with its health and its relationship with the environment in which they live are means of promoting transformation towards the conquest of a worthy social space.<br>El empobrecimiento de la población es una realidad social cuya superación es necesaria para que podamos pensar en salud como un concepto positivo. Ante la realidad que se muestra como ejemplo de superación de la exclusión social para diversas localidades en Brasil y en otros países, la finalidad de este estudio es reflejar sobre las estrategias de afrontamiento de la pobreza adoptadas por la comunidad del Nordeste de Brasil y su interfaz con la promoción de la salud. Inicialmente son presentadas la historia del conjunto y las estrategias colectivas de empowerment para el afrontamiento de la pobreza y la búsqueda del desarrollo humano. En seguida, se establece la relación de esas estrategias con los campos de acción para promoción de la salud. Finalmente, se considera que la responsabilización conjunta de la comunidad con su salud y su relación con el ambiente en que vive son medios de promover transformaciones que culminen con la conquista de un espacio social digno.<br>O empobrecimento populacional é uma realidade social cuja superação é necessária para que se possa pensar em saúde como um conceito positivo. Ante uma realidade que se mostra exemplo de superação da exclusão social para diferentes localidades no Brasil e em outros países, o presente estudo propõe-se a refletir sobre as estratégias de enfrentamento da pobreza adotadas pela comunidade da Região Nordeste do Brasil e sua interface com a promoção da saúde. Inicialmente são apresentadas a história do Conjunto Palmeira e as estratégias coletivas de empowerment para o enfrentamento da pobreza e busca do desenvolvimento humano. Em seguida, faz-se a relação dessas estratégias com os campos de ação para promoção da saúde. Considera-se que a co-responsabilização da comunidade com sua saúde e sua relação com o ambiente em que vivem são meios de promover transformações que culminem com a conquista de um espaço social digno

Immunoreactivity of synthetic peptides derived from proteins of Cryptococcus gattii

Aim: To determine the immunoreactivity of synthetic Cryptococcus-derived peptides. Materials & methods: A total of 63 B-cell epitopes from previously identified Cryptococcus gattii immunoreactive proteins were synthesized and evaluated as antigens in ELISAs. The peptides were first evaluated for their ability to react against sera from immunocompetent subjects carrying cryptococcal meningitis. Peptides that yielded high sensitivity and specificity in the first test were then retested with sera from individuals with other fungal pathologies for cross-reactivity determination. Results: Six of 63 synthetic peptides were recognized by antibodies in immunoassays, with a specificity of 100%, sensitivity of 78% and low cross-reactivity. Conclusion: We successfully determined the immunoreactivity of selected synthetic peptides of C. gattii derived proteins